TAM Airlines Adding 750 Flights for World Cup

Dennis Schaal, Skift

- Apr 02, 2014 11:30 am

Skift Take

TAM says it is adding 750 flights for the World Cup, and an additional 1,000 temporary workers to accommodate all of those soccer fans. The airline has had two years to plan for the World Cup, and for many passengers TAM will be their all-important introduction to Brazil and the championship. Let the flights and games begin.

These additional 750 temporary flights represents a 31% increase in flights for the airline.

Pablo Chiozza, Latam Airlines Group’s senior vice president for the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, says the airline invested $21 million into the effort, and that includes hiring an additional 1,000 temporary workers to handle the passenger influx.

Of the 750 new flights, 300 will be international, including many throughout South America to get soccer fans to the tournament.

The World Cup runs June 12 to July 13, and the increased flights will operate from around 10 days before the start of the World Cup until about a week after the finish, with the largest concentration during the first two weeks of the tourney.

Due to the complexity of travel within Brazil, with the matches running in a dozen cities, Chiozza believes that about 90% of fans will fly from venue to venue.

Chiozza says the airline has been planning for the World Cup for two years.

“The World Cup will be a huge event,” he says.

In other news, Latam joined the oneworld alliance March 31. Having merged in 2012, the LAN portion of Latam was already a oneworld member while TAM Airlines had been part of the Star Alliance.